"Union Strategies to Adjustment: The Spanish Case"

I first outline the major strategies unions have pursued since the transition to democracy by examining three distinctive phases of bargaining-a first one centered around peak-level pacts, a second one where no national-level pacts were concluded, and the third period, during which peak-level negotiations were resumed. In addition to a general description of these phases, I will analyze some crucial labor relations bills in detail to be able to link them to the specifics of the political process. The ensuing explanation includes factors relating to the political, economic, and industrial relations factors. I do not claim, then, that European integration or other factors related to changes in production or the global and national economy are not important in explaining the changing patterns of the bargaining process. Obviously, these factors are major determinants for union strategies. Instead, I argue that the specific responses of Spanish unions become clearer once the political context is included, too